June 13, 2008
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team recently gave out its annual team awards for the recently concluded 2008 season. The annual awards are the F. Joseph Bedenk Award, for the team's most valuable player, the Shorty Stoner Award, for outstanding academic achievement, the Ed Drapcho Award, for the most improved player, and the Charles Medlar Award, for the most outstanding pitcher on the team.
Senior catcher Joe Blackburn was the recipient of the F. Joseph Bedenk Award for the second straight season. The award is given in memory of former Nittany Lion coach Joe Bedenk, who coached Penn State from 1931-62 and is the program's all-time leader in wins with 380. Blackburn, a fifth-year senior in 2008, finished his Penn State career with another strong season this year. He hit .342, which was second on the team, while playing in 56 games and starting 54, most of them as the primary starting catcher while also starting as the designated hitter on occasion. He led the team with a .497 slugging percentage and a .429 on-base percentage as well as a .926 OPS. He was second on the team with 64 hits and 14 doubles and led the team with three triple and also had three home runs. He was also second on the team with 43 RBI and tied for third with 93 total bases. He also was 10-for-11 on stolen bases and drew 30 walks, which was third on the team. A native of Sinking Spring, Pa., Blackburn served as one of three captains on the Nittany Lions this year, the first captains to be named by head coach Robbie Wine in his tenure at Penn State. This year, he hit his first home runs since 2005, including a game-winning and game-ending grand slam against Iowa on May 10 in the second-to-last home game of his career, the first such home run in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park history. Also a strong student in the classroom, Blackburn graduated last month with a double major in secondary education and history. He is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Joe Blackburn - 2008 F. Joseph Bedenk Award Winner |
The Shorty Stoner Award had a repeat winner as well as senior outfielder Brian Ernst earned the award for the second straight season. Named for the Nittany Lion baseball coach from 1982-1990, the award goes to the team member with the highest grade point average. Ernst, also a fifth-year senior and a team captain in 2008, graduated last month with a degree in accounting with a 3.72 gpa. A four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Ernst was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team earlier this year. He was also a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, given out to the top senior student athlete in the country. On the field, Ernst has one of the most consistent performers on the team. He finished 2008 with 78 hits, tied for third place on the Penn State single season hits list, and he ended his career with 237 hits, third on the all-time career list and with a career batting average of .320. He started 57 of 58 games this year and led the team doubles with 16, setting a new career high for extra-base hits in a season, and also co-led the team with 94 total bases and was second on the team in on-base percentage at .420. He was also a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen bases this year.
The Ed Drapcho Award for most improved player went to junior outfielder Ryan Boonie. The award is named for former Nittany Lion pitcher Ed Drapcho, a Penn State All-American pitcher from 1955-57 who still holds several school records. Boonie, a fourth-year junior and native of State College, Pa., had a breakout year this year. After playing in just four games and receiving three at-bats over his first two years on the active roster, Boonie hit .295 in 42 games (34 starts) this year and became the team's primary leftfielder, seizing the job right around the beginning of conference play in late March. Boonie drove in 23 runs and had a home run and six doubles while also drawing more walks (17) than strikeouts (15). He was also third on the team in sacrifice hits and in the field committed just one errors in 60 total chances.
Ryan Boonie - 2008 Ed Drapcho Award Winner |
Junior reliever Drew O'Neil was the recipient of the Charles Medlar Award for the second straight season. The award is named after former Nittany Lion baseball coach and athletic trainer Chuck Medlar, whom Penn State home stadium is also named after. O'Neil was a co-winner of the award last year along with former teammate Craig Clark. He wrapped up his Penn State career as one of the most dominant pitchers to ever take the mound for Penn State. Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fourth round of this year's MLB First-Year Player Draft two weeks ago, O'Neil signed with the White Sox on Wednesday. With the Nittany Lions this year, O'Neil had a 1.88 ERA in 28.2 innings of work this year and for the second straight season, recorded 11 saves, tying his own school record from last year. He also broke the career saves mark earlier this year, breaking a record that had been previously set in a four-year career in just one year plus 20 games. O'Neil finished his career having allowing only one earned run to a Big Ten team in regular season play, that coming in his final appearance of the regular season this year, and he also allowed just one extra base hit on the year. When he was selected in the fourth round two weeks ago, he became the highest drafted Penn State player since Nate Bump went in the first round in 1998 and also the third-highest drafted Penn State player ever.